Jamie's Super Food (2015) s01e06 Episode Script

Superfood, for me, is a new way of thinking.
It's not about goji berries and green drinks, it's about cooking smart with simple foods that are nutritious and delicious.
I think it can be really confusing, these days.
There's such a lot of noise about what is and what isn't healthy.
'So, in this show, 'I'm going to some of the healthiest places in the world, 'where people live the longest, to find out what they eat' [JAMIE CHUCKLES.]
It's really, really good! '.
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and how they live.
' 88 years old, still in charge of the kitchen.
'From the jungles of Costa Rica' It's absolutely jam-packed full of vitamin C.
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to the islands of Greece' This is what life's all about -- the old, the very young, all having a party, great food '.
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and Japanese city life.
' Keep practising.
'They're all using humble ingredients 'to make some of the simplest and tastiest dishes I've eaten.
' I've picked up the bowl now, cos it makes me just want to hug it.
'Inspired by what I've learnt, 'I'm going to show you the tricks and tips 'to build my version of superfood into your life' Who said eating healthy was boring and tasteless? Rubbish.
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breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
' I don't want you to eat healthy food because you have to.
I want you to eat healthy food because it's delicious.
There's not one superfood that can fix all ills, but when you start putting them together, you can create something truly amazing, delicious and nutritious.
'So, how can we build superfoods into our daily life? 'Around the globe, there are five places where experts think 'they've got it down pat, so tonight, I'm paying two of them a visit.
'I meet an Ikarian couple who inspire a superfood salmon lunch, 'powered by whole grains.
' It's full of the good stuff.
Beautiful.
'And in Japan, getting into their mindsets of meals as medicine 'helps me create a delicious chicken dish your body will thank you for.
' Without doubt, your body will be very, very pleased that you've given it that.
'A day's worth of delicious, nutritious meals, 'all for under 1,600 calories, 'so plenty of room for healthy snacks and treats too.
'But first, my very own supercharged superfood breakfast.
' There's so much evidence that shows you that if you have a good breakfast, it sets you up for the day and actually, it sets you up for a long, healthy, productive life.
'We're going to do 'This little health bomb can be made ahead of time 'and will keep you full until lunch.
' So, this my friend, is black rice and get used to it, cos there's a lot more of that coming into the supermarkets now and it's really, really good for you.
And check this out -- this has three times the amount of fibre of your average white rice.
'If you can't find black, you can use brown as well.
'Cook 200g, drain it and set it to one side.
' Now, I want layers, almost like a trifle, so I'm going to do a quick puree.
It takes no time at all.
'We're going to use mango, a mega-superfood.
Just 100g contains '112% of our recommended daily intake of vitamin C.
'So, great for the immune system.
' Quite a cool little tip, actually.
All I do is, I put the skin and the flesh like that -- and I just push it against a glass.
Let's get that into the liquidiser.
'For a classic tropical vibe, 'I'm going to add mango's best mate -- lime.
' And then, simply puree it.
It will take seconds.
OK, so that's done.
Now, what I want to do is almost dress that rice -- convince it that it's really sweet and delicious and breakfasty.
So, to do that, I'm going to make a kind of smoothie.
'In go two bananas, a natural sweetener, packed with potassium, 'followed by 200ml of unsweetened hazelnut milk, 'fortified with calcium and containing vitamin B12, 'which helps us stay alert.
'Whizz this up and add a tablespoon of vanilla extract, 'then add three quarters of the rice and blitz that.
' Right, let's have a look.
Let's go in the pan with the rest of the rice.
What I get here is incredible texture.
I mean, look at that.
What I want to do now is have some sprinkly bits.
'Toast a tablespoon of hazelnuts and coconut until they're golden.
'Then bash them up in a pestle and mortar.
'Next, vitamin C-filled passion fruit.
' Passion fruit is one of my favourite fruits in the world, but when you buy it, don't get the shiny ones, OK? You don't want those, they taste acidic, it's not good.
Get these wrinkly old fellows.
Yes, older is better.
'Halve them and put to one side.
Now, we're ready to dish up.
' This is the fun bit.
'Layer up the rice, then the sunshine mango puree 'and a burst of flavour with that fresh passion fruit.
'Finally, add a dollop of lovely, natural yoghurt, 'along with a sprinkling of those delicious hazelnut coconut flakes.
' That is just going to set the whole thing off beautifully.
'So, there you have it -- 'a healthy breakfast that tastes as good as pud 'and for only 277 calories, it's the perfect way to start the day.
' Mmm.
It's so addictively good.
All my eating manners have gone, and it's all about me and this jar right now, so off you go.
Laters.
'For all recipes, go to 'I'm visiting some of the world's healthiest communities, 'to find out what they're eating.
'The Greek island of Ikaria has sun-drenched beaches, 'lush, tropical forests 'and the highest proportion of 90-year-olds in Europe.
'Scientists believe that their diet, full of vegetables, 'fruit and whole grains, could be the reason they live so long.
'Whole grains reduce our risk of strokes, diabetes and heart disease.
'And here in Ikaria, they eat lots, 'especially their own supercharged version, 'a cracked wheat called trahana.
' Ikarians have been enjoying this incredible whole-grain - BELL TOLLS - for hundreds and hundreds of years, so I've come here to see it being made in the most traditional way.
'73-year-old Maria is the caretaker of the oldest monastery on the island 'and has been making and eating trahana all her life.
' I'm here with the lovely Maria.
She lives up here in the monastery.
This is where it starts.
This is cracked wheat.
I know about that, we can get it in all the supermarkets.
It's delicious.
So, tell me what you do to this cracked wheat, to get to this stage here.
Instead of boiling it in water, she's boiled it in goat's milk, so we've got really quality protein around that really quality whole-grain.
So, what now, Maria? 'After being boiled in goat's milk, 'the grains are broken up and laid in the sun to dry, 'before being passed through a coarse sieve 'and then sun-dried again for one to two days, until totally dehydrated.
'Traditionally, this process was done once a year by the whole community, 'making a big batch in the summer 'that would last them through the winter.
' You'd think, "Why don't they just keep the cracked wheat and drink milk?" But what they've done is, they've preserved the milk and the cracked wheat.
Now, I want to find out how to cook this.
'So, I'm leaving the monastery 'and heading to the kitchen of a local couple 'who've been brought up on trahana and still eat it twice a week.
' Alexandra! - Kalimera.
- Kalimera.
Nicos? - Nicos -- Kalimera.
- Kalimera.
'Still going strong, aged 77 and 88, 'this trahana seems like a trick worth knowing.
' So, Alexandra, what are you actually making? Soupa.
It's a really basic tomato broth.
Some tomato sauce that she'd made when the tomatoes were in season, oil, peppers, salt and pepper.
So, here it goes -- the new ingredient.
Something I've never seen before.
'Whole grains are high in fibre, 'which helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels, 'lowering the risk of getting type II diabetes 'and protecting against certain cancers.
'They also keep digestive systems healthy 'and appetites fuller for longer.
' So, this is clever food, man.
It's clever food.
Here she is.
Look at that.
So, this trahana -- what a brilliant thing.
It's kind of like little pasta bits, you know? It's got that vibe about it.
Fantastic.
Delicious.
- Trahana, huh? - Honestly, she reminds me of my mum.
She's up and down like a yo-yo, looking after people.
Thank you.
The big thing here that all of us can do is switch from refined grains to whole grains.
You know, whether it's rices, pastas, couscous, bread We can all do it, it's a brilliant thing to do for you and your family.
'Inspired by Nicos and Alexandra, 'I want to hit the kitchen and rustle up a meal 'perfect for incorporating my hero ingredient, whole-grains.
' So, for lunch, we're going to do a roasted tail of salmon which has been seasoned with salt, pepper, green tea and sesame oil.
It's going to be amazing.
'Serve with stir-fried brown rice and a beautiful sunshine salad, 'this dish is bursting with super nutritious fish, whole grains, 'plus three of your five-a-day fruit and veg.
' So, I'm going to cook this beautiful salmon tail.
Of course, you can use regular salmon fillet, but cooking fish on the bone is really a beautiful thing.
You get more moisture, it's more forgiving if you slightly overcook it and you just don't have to be scared of it.
'Start by making half-centimetre-deep cuts, about a centimetre apart, 'to allow us to get the seasoning and heat into the fish.
' Then, we've got this kind of curveball in there -- green tea.
'Simply tear open a green teabag and sprinkle over the fish tail.
' It tastes incredible and of course, you've got that slightly Asian, Oriental vibe just kicking in there.
'Finely slice a clove of garlic 'and place the pieces into the cuts in the fish.
'Get a teaspoon of sesame oil and pat it into the salmon skin.
'Then, this needs to cook in the oven for about 20 minutes 'on 180 degrees Celsius or 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
' OK, time to do the sunshine salad.
Why is it called sunshine? Because it's colourful.
'I'm going for carrots, tomato, chicory and cress, 'but pick your favourite veg and make it your own.
'Chop, shave and slice for different shapes and sizes.
'Then, for a refreshing burst of flavour, 'I'm adding mango, because I love it.
'But you could swap it out for papaya, peach or nectarine.
' That's already looking very appealing.
Time for the dressing.
'Squeeze the rest of the flesh from the mango stone and add some lime.
'Season to taste with low-salt soya sauce 'and for a final flavour kick, and some red chilli.
' And then, what I'm going to do is, I'm just going to put this on top of the dressing.
I'm not going to dress it yet.
OK, so there's the sunshine salad ready and raring to go, so let's get on the stir-fried rice.
It's very, very simple, very clean.
Get your pan on a medium heat.
'Add a teaspoon of sesame oil, 'along with a thumb-sized piece of sliced ginger.
'Wait for it to crisp up, 'then sprinkle over a teaspoon of sesame seeds.
Once you get a bit of colour, add 150g of precooked brown rice.
' Just jiggle that about.
You know, don't rush it, just bring it back to be sort of hot, soft and maybe a little bit crispy in some parts as well, which is nice.
OK, let's check our salmon.
That's had about 20 minutes.
Look at that.
Really, really gorgeous.
'Time to plate up.
'Toss the salad in that vibrant dressing, 'then it's going onto a platter with the whole-grain ginger rice.
'Top it off with the salmon tail.
' You can just lift it, like that.
Look at that.
'Take out the bone and you're ready to dive in.
' The salmon is so juicy.
And that green tea just gives it that savoury perfume, which is gorgeous.
And the rice Mmm.
'Tender green tea-infused salmon, hearty whole grains 'and a zesty sunshine salad.
'A dish bursting with flavour 'and all for just 600 calories per portion.
' It's full of the good stuff.
Beautiful.
'Next, I'm off to Japan, to meet the ultimate green fingered grandad.
' This man likes to grow.
Come and have a look at this.
'And my trip inspires a delicious, medicinal dinner 'that will leave you feeling great.
' Full of life, full of colour.
That is a superfood chicken dish.
Food is so powerful and, if you make the right choices, it's almost like medicine.
So, I'm cooking up a day's worth of meals that not only taste delicious but will make you feel good and live better.
So far, we've kicked off the day with a rice pudding breakfast topped with mango and passion fruit.
And made a super green tea roasted salmon lunch.
Next on my voyage of superfood discovery is the Japanese island of Okinawa.
Ancient Chinese legends called this "the land of the immortals".
And, as home to one of the longest living populations on the planet, it's clear why.
'When it comes to food, the Okinawans have a belief called "nuchi gusui" 'meaning "let food be your medicine".
'The idea is simple.
'Eat the right food to prevent illness.
'So, I'm meeting Mr Shoi Kinjo' Arigato.
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who's lived his life by this mind-set.
'And, at a mighty 95 years old, may be proof there's something in this.
' Lovely to meet you.
Wow! I've never seen a veggie garden like this.
This man likes to grow.
Come and have a look at this.
He's got mint here.
Chillies growing in there.
Mangoes here.
Salads.
He's got loads of stuff going on.
'Everything Mr Shoi grows can be used for different ailments.
'But instead of waiting to get ill, 'they're incorporated into the diet to stave off sickness.
' This is mugwort here.
It just looks like a weed.
But they use this for tummy aches and often for a kind of digestive, to settle the tummy.
'But there's one produce dominating this garden -- 'Mr Shoi's award-winning goyas, also known as bitter melon.
' You want me to cut it? - One, two, three.
- Yeah, one, two, three.
Look at that, mate.
'Goya is a summer staple here in Okinawa.
'Extremely high in vitamin C, 'it's fantastic for the immune and nervous system 'and just 100 grams provides all the vitamin C Mr Shoi needs in a day.
'Now, that's what I call a clever veg.
' Why are these your favourite vegetable, then? IN JAPANESE: JAMIE SPEAKS IN JAPANESE Nice.
That was my Japanese for, "Shall we get cooking?" 'Even at 95, Mr Shoi still normally cooks his three meals a day.
'But tonight his daughter Etsuko is doing the honours.
' This is the goya here.
You can see it's been split in half.
The seeds have been taken out.
So, OK.
Over to you, my darling.
'We're making the local stir-fry dish, goya chanpuru.
' Which is quite unusual cos often, when you cook veggies, that goes.
Why is that? Beautiful colours.
Time to eat.
Look at this.
I asked him, could he show me a few ways to cook the goya.
And look what we've got here.
A whole feast.
We've got the dish that we just did.
We've got a salad over there.
We've got the tempura.
We've got some pickled goya.
So, enough talking.
Shall we? That's a really balanced, wonderful, colourful meal.
This is really, really delicious.
- Oishii! - Oishii.
This is what the Okinawans do.
They cook things that are really good for their body at the right time of year.
It's just embracing food, not just as food, but as something that's going to make you feel great.
These are some of the big tips for longevity and long, prosperous, healthy lives, just like him.
Whether it's turmeric or fennel seeds, or mint, or goya, food is medicine.
And he knows it.
SHE REPLIES IN JAPANESE So, I want to take home this food as medicine mind-set and apply it to foods readily available in our supermarkets.
A favourite medicinal spice of mine is turmeric.
It's rich in so many nutrients and I love the flavour it gives to any dish.
So, for dinner, I'm going to do a beautiful, exciting dish, seared turmeric chicken with gorgeous peppers, couscous, greens and silken houmous.
Really lovely.
And I'm taking inspiration from being in Japan.
And that kind of idea that food is medicine.
This absolutely delicious chicken dish has three of your five-a-day fruit and veg, the dairy, protein and carbs you need, and rocks in at only 579 calories per portion.
So, first up, we've got marinade.
And the marinade kind of hero is turmeric.
And one teaspoon in here is an incredible flavour.
It gives amazing colour.
But also this has been used in traditional medicine for 4,000 years, for an anti-inflammatory, for things like asthma, osteoarthritis.
So, this is a really good thing to get in your life.
It's so nutritious that even small amounts like this will make a difference.
We're going to hit that up with some extra virgin olive oil.
Two tablespoons.
And I'm going to put in a really lovely herb -- oregano.
A little tip on these lovely woody herbs.
If you just run it under a hot tap or even pop it in some boiling water, just for a second, you wake up all of those natural oils and you're going to get way more flavour.
Finely slice and add the oregano.
Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Then add two skinless chicken breasts and give them a good coating.
If you can marinate this overnight, then brilliant.
And even if you're going to cook it in five, six, seven minutes, this is going to be still delicious.
So, look, there's our chicken done.
I've got some boiling water here.
I want to lightly season that.
And then what I'm going to do is blanch my greens.
I'm going in with some kale and chard.
These are jam-packed with powerful nutrients including vitamin C and I've got some iron-rich spinach set aside for later.
Now, hazelnuts.
One handful of nuts a day reduces your chance of heart attacks and heart disease by 50%.
Ridiculous.
So, I'm going to use about 15-20 grams in here.
Just bring them back to life as this pan heats up.
So, let's have a little look here.
OK.
So this only had two minutes, guys.
I'm going to grab the greens and I'm going to put them on a little rack over here.
Full of life, full of colour and still full of a lot of their goodness.
OK.
Remember the spinach? So, this is how long I want to cook the spinach.
Put the spinach in.
Take it out.
That's all you want to do.
Look at that.
OK.
Before I get rid of this water, little tip.
This is whole-wheat couscous.
So, it's that hero whole grain again.
Take 150 grams, just cover it with that delicious water from the veg.
Season, pop in a sprig of mint, then simply cover and leave for 10 minutes.
My nuts are nicely toasted, so give 'em a smash up.
So, look, let's get the chicken cooking.
Add the oil first.
And then go in with our chicken.
And I want to use all that marinade and I'm going to cook that for about three to four minutes on each side until gorgeous, golden and delicious.
So, while it's cooking, let's get on with some lovely houmous.
Empty a jar of cooked chickpeas into a blender.
And now my clever trick to make this a healthy houmous.
Use two tablespoons of gorgeous yoghurt instead of oil.
We'll go in with half a clove of garlic.
A pinch of cayenne.
Add the juice of half a lemon.
The last ingredient which is really essential is tahini.
It's basically sesame paste, so one teaspoon goes in, and then just whizz it up.
This quantity makes about eight portions.
So there'll be plenty left over to enjoy the rest of the week.
So, look, houmous is done.
Once the chicken is almost ready, add four slices of roasted red peppers to the same pan.
Taking advantage of all those lovely juices.
Let's have a look at our couscous here.
That's your carbohydrate.
But also, and most importantly, slow-burning carbohydrate.
That's going to keep you fuller for way longer.
And then I'm going to hit that with a nice little handful of mint.
So, straight in there.
Time to plate up.
Dollop on that beautiful, silken, skinny houmous.
Then layer on the roasted red peppers and a big spoonful of that minty, wholegrain couscous.
Let's look at the chicken.
I'm just going to slice it at an angle, about a centimetre thick.
And the turmeric has just coloured it so fantastically well.
Finally, those gorgeous greens.
Sprinkle over the toasted hazelnuts and you've got a plateful of goodness for just 579 calories.
Without doubt, your body will be very, very pleased that you've given it that.
That is a superfood chicken dish, right there.
So, there you have it.
A day's worth of incredibly delicious superfood meals.
Mango and passion fruit rice pudding breakfast pots.
Green tea roasted salmon for lunch with wholesome wholegrain rice and a delicious turmeric chicken dinner, all for under 1,600 calories.
But it's not about the calories, guys, it's about simple, nutritious eating for a happier, healthier you.
That's superfood.